The clip is credited to voice performer Vance Colvig for the Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey's Birthday Party, released on February 7, 1942. Colvig was known for vocal effects and character voices in classic animation, and this whinny was created to give a cartoon horse a humanlike reaction. Short effects like this later circulated in sound libraries, including horse sound collections, which helped them reach editors outside the original cartoon. Its classic cartoon styling keeps it popular for memes and edits that need an instantly recognisable animal reaction.